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Dam and footbridge, Blair Academy, NJPhoto: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Blairstown Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Blairstown Township faces more hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blairstown Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #274 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 68 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 5%Strong wind 4%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 62%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#274 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
C+#274 of 468
in New Jersey · higher than 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
68
paid since 1979 · $1.0M
Flooded more than once
18
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
11
of 19 declared for Warren County
By hazard

What Blairstown Township faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

86%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Hail Wildfire Landslides Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Blairstown Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Blairstown Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Blairstown Township, and Blairstown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Blairstown Township sits
Blairstown Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #274 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Blairstown Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes5%Strong wind4%Everything else5%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Blairstown Township has more expected damage per building than 58% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Blairstown Township: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Blairstown Township’s 5,704 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Blairstown CDP (493 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Blairstown Township flood? Sometimes: 68 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Blairstown Township, from FEMA’s records: 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 15 claims2005: 3 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 11 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 35 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420072011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene29 claims · $580K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter11 claims · $117K
68
paid claims since 1979
$1.0M
paid to owners
18
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Blairstown Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Warren County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Blairstown Township

Disasters that paid out in Blairstown Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Blairstown Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$27K to Blairstown Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida15 households applied for aid$42K aid approved
  3. 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$62K to Blairstown Township for repairs
  4. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to Blairstown Township for repairs
  5. 2012Hurricane Sandy93 households applied for aid$49K aid approved$30K to Blairstown Township for repairs
  6. 2011Severe Storm$2K to Blairstown Township for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$21K to Blairstown Township for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene215 households applied for aid$514K aid approved$42K to Blairstown Township for repairs29 flood claims paid for it, $580K
  3. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$54K to Blairstown Township for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved3 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding59 households applied for aid$149K aid approved$112K to Blairstown Township for repairs15 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Blairstown TownshipWarren County only

Warren County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

Old photos of Blairstown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Blairstown Township archive →
Next door

Blairstown Township and its neighbors

Blairstown Township is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hardwick Township: hazard risk A−Frelinghuysen Township: hazard risk A−Hope Township: hazard risk B−Knowlton Township: hazard risk B−Hardwick TownshipFrelinghuysen TownshipHope TownshipKnowlton TownshipBlairstown Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Frelinghuysen TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding2
Hardwick TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
Hope TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding17
Knowlton TownshipB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding109
Blairstown TownshipC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding68

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Blairstown Township faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Blairstown Township

Is Blairstown Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Blairstown Township has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #274 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (5%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Blairstown Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 68 claims in Blairstown Township since 1979, $1.0M in all, or 31.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (29).

Is Blairstown Township in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Warren County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Blairstown Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Blairstown Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Blairstown Township?

By FEMA money that reached Blairstown Township, Hurricane Irene (2011): 215 households applied for aid, $514K approved, and $42K to Blairstown Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 29 paid, $580K.

Is Blairstown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Blairstown Township’s rate for it is higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Blairstown Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Blairstown Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.